Fish lure



Jan. 14, 1941.

0. BROWN FISH LURE Filed April 6, 1939 fnz/nfor (29522 22 Brown Patented Jan. 14, 1941 I J UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FISH LURE Clinton Brown, Oak Park, 111., alsignor to The South Bend Bait Company, South Bend, hit, a corporation Indiana Application April 8, 1939, Serial No. 266,351 I 8 Claims. (CI. 43-42) The invention relates generally to fish lures. rated lure body or the general type shown in Figs. It is well known that in ilshing it is usually 1 and 2. necessary or desirable to change the type or design Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the of lure being used quite often in order to determine fish lure modified in its general appearance as 6 which lure is most eflective, and in eflecting such well as in eflective length through the use of still substitution of conventional lures it is necessary another decorative pattern on a lure body of the to detach the lure from the line or leader, and to bug-type shown in Fig. 1, and through the inthread the line or leader through the eye of the corporation 0! a tail or streamer which may be new lure so as to fix the new lure to the line of any one of awide variety of colors and sizes.

10 This operation requires considerable time and Fig. 6 is a view of the lure showing the incorl0 persistence, and is exceptionally difllcult because por ion 0! lure y of h -11 yp of light conditions during periods 01' dawn or dusk 8- 7 1S 8 w 01 t hi h y fishing, during which periods loss of fishing time imilar to that used in F 18- 6 nd i p r g a is particularly objectionable, streamer or tail which in the form shown is made The primary object of the present invention is from feathers. 15 to conserve the actual available fishing time Fig. 8 is a side elevational view showing an through the provision of 9, novel fish lure the alternative embodiment of the invention wherein effective character and appearance of which may e hoo or hoo s a e p y associated with be readily and quickly changed without the obthe a s s. th s embodiment be pa t cu a y 20 jectionable and time consuming detachment and adapted for casting or trolling baits of various 20 rte-attachment of the line or leader with relation larger sizes. to the attachment eye oi the lure. For purposes of disclosure two major forms of A further object of the present i nti 1 t the invention are illustrated in the drawing, toprovide a new and improved fish lure wherein the gether with several varieties and arrangements same hook and its line attachment means may be f lu bodies. a d th s f ms and a ran ments 25 readily and easily associated with any select d of lure bodies willbe'described in detail as apone of a wide variety of differently formed and plied to par ic r 1011115 01 chassis Carrying difierently appearing lurebodies, thereby to enmeans, but it is to be understood that this disable the fisherman to produce a, wide selection of closure is not intended as a limitation of the incomplete lures according to his own ideas on the Ventien 0 the forms Shown to the particular 30 subject, and also enabling the fisherman to pack types 0! material used, it being e t mplated that and transport this wide available selection within Various anges might be made by tho e Skilled a limited o compact space in his carrying case" in the art to adaptthe invention to other types of A further object; i t provide new lures and lure bodies or lure chassis, or to other proved fish lure in which the user may modify the types d fo ms of mat w ut d pa t 35 effective length or the efiective positioning of from e spirit and scop of e ven ion as dethe hook, as well as the overall appearance of the fined 111 the pp m lure through the use of any selected one of a wide In attaining the foregoing, and Other j variety of tails or streamers which are readily I Provide fish hll'e which Comprises a Chassis 40 and easily associated with the hook oi the lure. embodying line attachment means adapted to 40 ot objects and advantages will become main in continuous association with the line or parent fro the f llo i description taken m leader, there being a suitable fish hook associated connection with the accompanying drawing, in with the chassis either permanently or replace which: ably, and there being provided a correlated series Fig. 1 is a side elevational view illustrating a. or i g dlflerent and ag physical 45 fish lure embodying the features of the invention. g a me g z may be of Fig. 2 is a view taken partially in longitudinal 8 same or o eren Spec apted to be mounted selectively on the chassis through the central Section showing the fish lure of 1 use of complemental attaching means on the lure with the lure body released and ready for removal bodies and t h 1 and substitution of a differently appearing or a I th form illustrated in Fig, 1 the invention differently constructed lure body. is embodied in a lure Ill comprising an elongated Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the chassis of chassis II with a line attachment eyelet I! at one the present fish lure. end to receive a line or leader [3, a fish hook ll Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a differently decooperatively associated therewith adjacent its other 55 end, and a lure body I5 detachably mounted on one side of the chassis between the line attachment eyelet and the hook. The present invention contemplates and provides for changing the characteristics and visual appearance of the lure III while the chassis |I (including the eyelet I2 and the hook I4) remain in permanent association with the line I3, this end being attained by detaching the lure body I5 from the chassis and substituting a differently constructed or differently decorated lure body on the chassis. The eyelet I2 and the hook 64 may therefore be integral, and in the present instance a standard hook has been employed, with the usual integral shank I5 between the hook I4 and the line attachment eyelet, so that in the present case, the shank I6 serves as a part of the chassis I I.

The present invention is applicable to lures of many kinds, such as trout, bass, and salmon flies or bugs, for either underwater or surface fishing, as well as to trolling and casting baits made from wood, cork, metal, plastics, feathers, silk or other materials, or made from combinations of such materials; and in each instance the appearance of the lure may be quickly changed through substitution of different lure bodies of the same general type, or by substitution of different types. Thus, as shown in Figs. 1 to 7, the present invention provides for quickly changing the lure body from the bug-type floating bait of Figs. 1, 2 and 5 to the underwater fly type shown in Figs. 6 and '7; or for substituting a succession of differently decorated lure bodies of either one of these general types.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the lure ID has a lure body I5 of the bug or floating type which may be made of a material such as wood, the embodiment shownfbeing of an elongated generally cylindrical form having its forward end I'I cut at an angle to the longitudinal axis as is customary with baits of this general character, and having its rear end rounded as at It.

To provide for readily removing the lure body I5 and replacing it with a differently formed or differently decorated lure body, complemental attachment or mounting means is provided, partly on the chassis I I and partly on the lure body I5; and, in the preferred form herein illustrated, the portion of this mounting and positioning means which is formed on the lure body I5 comprises a longitudinal bore 2!! (Fig. 2) adapted to receive a straight mounting bar 2|, which bar 2| extends through the bore 20 and comprises a part of the attachment means of the chassis I.

Preferably the mounting bar 2| is formed from resilient wire of slightly smaller diameter than the wire from which the hook I4 is made, and is of sufficient length to extend entirely through the bore 20 with a free end 2| extending beyond the rear end of the lure body I5. At the other or front end of the lure body I5 the wire is bent at right angles to the mounting bar 2| to form a supporting arm 22 which extends to the shank I6 adjacent to the eyelet I2. At this point the wire is bent so as to extend rearwardly along the shank I6 to provide a base wire 23 which is secured permanently to the shank It as by means of soldering or welding.

At a point just beyond the rear end of the lure body I5 the wire of the base 23 is bent away from the hook l4 to form an arm 24 extending past the Fig. 1 position of the mounting bar 2|, and is reversely bent as at 25 to form a hook-like keeper with which the free end 2| of the mounting bar 2| may be engaged. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2,

the arms 22 and 24 are located in substantially the same plane as the hook I4 so that the lure body I5 is positioned in a remote relation to the barbed point I4 of the hook. The length of the lure body I5 at the axis of the bore 20 is so proportioned as to allow but slight longitudinal movement between the arms 22 and 24, while the bore 20 is so related to the exterior surface of the lure body as to prevent excess rotative movement of the lure body about the axis of the mounting bar 2|. In the present case the lure body I5 has a flattened lower face 26 (Fig. 4) and the bore 20 is so related to this surface that the edges of this surface 25 will strike the base 23 and thereby limit to a degree the rotative movement of the lure body.

This limited rocking movement of the lure body I5 has been found to be of marked importance in assuring variable and natural darting of the lure back and forth across the general line of retrieving movement, and in attaining this action the variable positioning of the angular surface I1 by such rocking movement plays an important part.

Since the lure body I5 is, in the form shown, made from wood, the bore 20 is preferably provided with a rigid liner such as a metallic sleeve 28 which serves to prevent closure of the bore 20 when the wood swells due to water soaking. The sleeve 28 also provides a smooth inner surface for the bore 20 and thereby facilitates mounting of the lure body on the mounting bar 2|. Preferably the sleeve 28 is held in place by outwardly flanging its ends as at 29, and this flanging also serves to provide tapered entrances to the sleeve 28 and thereby facilitate the insertion of the bar 2| into the bore 20. The mounting operation is accomplished while the mounting bar is in the released position of Figs. 2 and 3, the arm 22 being arranged normally to urge the mounting bar to this position; and after the lure body is in position as shown in Fig. 2, the bar 2| is sprung toward the shank I6 and the free end 2| is engaged with the hoop or keeper 25. The body I5 is, of course, proportioned to permit thefree end 2| to be moved downwardly about the end 25 of the hook 25.

In the form shown in Fig. l, the lure body I5 is decorated in a conventionalized manner to represent a fish, the forward end or section 30 being decorated in one color such as red, with a black and white eye 3|, while the rear or body portion 32 is decorated in'a different solid color such as white. In practice several interchangeable and differently decorated lure bodies of the bug-type are provided, several of which may be of different solid colors'such as silver, green, yellow or black, as shown in the single-color decoration of the bugtype lure body |5a in Fig. 5, and this form, the representation of eyes, as at 33, may be employed, if desired. Other variations of color scheme may be employed in the bug-type lure body, as shown in the lure body |5b of Fig. 4, which is painted green with yellow and black spots 34 so as to constitute a conventionalized representation of a frog.

To provide for quickly changing from the floating lure of Figs. 1 to 5, to produce a lure having radically different characteristics, the present invention provides a fly-type lure body 35 as shown in Figs. 6 and 7 which may be mounted on the chassis II in the same manner as the lure bodies of the bug-type, and interchangeably therewith. As shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the lure body 35 is formed with a mounting sleeve such as the sleeve 28 of Fig. 2 as a base or supporting element, and

the hairs or feathers it from which the fly is made are wound upon or secured to the sleeve in a conventional manner as indicated by the shellacked cord binding 21. In this construction the end flanges 28 of the sleeve 28 serve to hold the'winding in the proper position on the sleeve. The sleeve 28 is, of course, of such a length that it may move but slightly between the arms 22 and 24 of the chassis I i, so that the lure body 35 is eifectual- 1y maintained in the desired relation to the hook I. In practice, several fiy-type lures 25 are provided, preferably in well-known combinations of colors and materials, so that the user may, by substituting difierent designs of fiy-type lure bodies, easily arrive at the most effective lure.

Further variation of the appearance of the lure is attained through the provision of a plurality of trailers or tails 40 and 40' which may be made of various materials such as hair, shown in Fig. 5. or feathers as shown in Fig. 7. In either case, the material of the trailer is conventionally attached, as by winding, to an attachmenteyelet 4i, and where the keeper 25 is formed from wire as herein taught, the eyelet 4i may be placed over the hook 25 and onto the arm 2! so as to trail behind the main lure body i5 or 35, and thereby increase the eifeotive length of the lure. When the trailer is so positioned engagement of the bar 2i with the keeper 25 serves to lock the trailer 40 in position on the chassis. The attachment of a trailer 40 to the chassis constitutes an effective means to compensate for any tendency of the fish to strike forwardly of the hook it.

The trailers 40 and 40' may, of course, be made in a wide variety of colors and combinations of colors, so that by inter-change of trailers 40, and lure bodies l5 or 35, the fisherman may attain an exceedingly large number of-diiferent combinations of color and form in the present lure; and all of the various combinations may be readily attained while the hook and the chassis remain undisturbed in their usual fixed relation to the line or leader. The materials requisite to this wide variety of diiferent effective lures are such that they may be packed and carried in a relatively small space, so as to be marked improvement in this respect, while the operation of changing lures is bythe present invention so simplified as to conserve materially the available fishing time.

In Fig. 8 of the drawing there is illustrated an alternative construction adapted particularly for use in trolling or casting baits, and in this embodiment the invention provides for separable or replaceable mounting on the chassis of one or more hooks such as the gang hooks 50. In this form the mounting bar 2ia has a line attachment eyelet i2 formed at its forward end, while the base wire 23' extends downwardly and rearwardly from the eyelet i2 beneath the lower surface of a lure body 5i. At its rear end the base wire 23' is "bent upwardly to form a hook-like keeper 25 to receive the free end of the mounting bar 2i a in the same manner as in the Fig. 1 construction. At the juncture of the base wire 22' and the arm 24, an outward U-shaped attachment or positioning element 52 is formed so that the eyelet of a hook 50 threaded over the keeper 25 may be positioned in the U-shaDed projection 52. A similar U-shaped positioning element 53 may be formed intermediate the length of the base wire 23' to receive and position a second hook 50. With this construction the bottom of the lure body 5i I serves to hold the hooks 50 in position in the U-shaped elements 52 and 53.

With the embodiment oi Fig. 8, several inter- 3 changeable lure bodies II are provided, and these bodies may differ somewhat in form as well as in color or combinations of color, so that by convenient and rapid removal and replacement of lure bodies, the fisherman may eifectually change the appearance of his lure without the trouble and loss of time usually involved in detaching and re-attaching his line.

size and arrangement of books; and is such as to permit interchangeable use of trailers such as the trailers 40 and 40' for further modificationand variation of the overall appearance of the lure.

I claim as my invention:

l. A fishing device comprising, in combination, an elongated chassis having line attachment eyelet operatively associated therewith adjacent one end; a. hook operatively associated with said chassis adjacent the other end, a resilient wire member extending away from said chassis adjacent said line attachment eyelet and then having its free end extending generally parallel to said chassis toward the other end of the chassis to form a mounting bar, a hook-like keeper extending from said chassis adjacent said other end thereof for engagement by said free end of said mounting bar, and a lure body having a longitudinal opening therethrough mounted on said mounting bar with said mounting bar extending. through said longitudinal opening, and held removably in place on said chassis by engagement of the free end of said mounting bar with said hook-like keeper.

2. A fishing device as defined in-claim 1 wherein said hook-like keeper is made from wire, and.

wherein a tail element having an attachment eyelet is removably attached to said chassis by threading the attachment eyelet of said tail element over the wire keeper and is removably held in place thereon by engagement of the free end of said mounting bar with said keeper.

3. A fishing device comprising, in combination, a chassis member having line attachment means operatively associated with one end thereof, a hook operatively associated with the other end thereof, an velongated lure body member, and manually operable means for removably securing said, lure body member on said chassis member, said members being formed to cooperate in maintaining said lure body member within a predetermined range of a predetermined rotative relation to said chassis member while permitting a slight rocking movement of the body member relative to the chassis member.

4. A fishing device as defined in claim 3 wherein said body member has an angularly formed forward end face.

5. A fishing device comprising a chassis formed from resilient wire to provide a line attachmenteyelet and having said wire extending in spaced generally parallel relation to provide a space for receiving a lure body between the two generally parallel portions, one of said two portions being relatively straight to provide a mounting bar, and the other one of said portions having U-shaped outwardly projecting positioning elements formed Moreover, the form shown -in Fig. 8 permits rapid modification of the type,

therein to receive and position a fish hook the from resilient wire to provide a line attachment eyelet and having said wire extending in spaced generally parallel relation to provide a space for receiving a lure body between the two parallel portions, one of said two portions being relatively straight to form a resilient mounting bar, and the other having a laterally bent hook portion forming a keeper into which the free end of said mounting bar may be hooked to form a closed loop, the said other one of said portions having a U -shaped positioning element formed therein projecting away from said plug receiving space to receive and position a fish hook the eyelet of which is slipped over said laterally bent hook portion and along said other one of said portions into said U-shaped positioning element.

7. A fishing device as defined in claim 6 having a plug-like lure body with a longitudinal passage formed therethrough, said body having said mounting bar extending through said passage, and being held in place by engagement of said mounting bar with said keeper, said body being proportioned to prevent displacement of the eyelet of said hook from said positioning element.

8. A fishing devices comprising, in combination, an elongated chassis having line attachment eyelet means and a hook operatively associated therewith adjacent opposite ends of the chassis, a resilient wire member extending away from said chassis adjacent one end and then having its free end extending generally parallel to said chassis toward the other end of the chassis to form a mounting bar, a hook-like keeper extending from said chassis adjacent said other end thereof for engagement by said free end of said mounting bar, and a lure body having a longitudinal opening therethrough mounted on said mounting bar and with said mounting bar extending through said longitudinal opening, and held removably in place on said chassis by engagement of the free end of said mounting bar with said hook-like keeper.

CLINTON BROWN. 

